My place is full of objects and naturally each has a story, but among the most special are those made by my close friend Kate Frankel (Roger & Hebe Studio). There is a penholder in my office, in the living room a wonderfully imaginative holder with vases; a hot pot holder and a tea cozy in the kitchen, a first-aid pouch in the bathroom, an i-phone holder in my bag. And it is not enough that they are in every room, they also travel with me. Kate even made the name tag in the shape of the apple for my luggage, and I cannot forget the Christmas tree ornaments. You can call this a Kate obsession. I met her years ago when her twin boys and my daughter were just starting kindergarten. Now, the kids are taller than we are. Kate always struck me as a very elegant women, and not given to the mainstream. Not in her clothing, not in her life.  And you see it in what she creates, you can see how she sees the world, Her felt-fiber designs are particularly imaginative — completely unexpected — but at the same time, elegant. She also executes her design. I imagine that she cannot live without her particular materials and tools:  her German high quality felt and thread.  Her various pairs of scissors, her sewing machine. And then there is her eye for nuance. Her cleverness.  Her tireless effort to find something human in the everyday.

We spoke the other day and I asked these questions:

How do these ideas come to you?

Quite often in the wee hours of the morning, when I’m lying awake, my mind tends to solve design issues and I come up with new uses for felt.

What is the last great object not made by you that you held in your hands?

A hand-carved wooden crab – I like the shape of a crab’s shell and its claws.

If you had to leave tonight — to go on a completely unexpected vacation — where would you go?

Paris, bien sur!

Who inspires you the most?

My Aunt Cat, (Catherine Bixby Barrett) whom I’m named after. She is 88 and still working on new designs for knitting projects, Valentines, clothespin dolls. And she continues to paint in watercolor, which for me is the ultimate challenge!

Where do you go in San Francisco to feel creative?

The Flower Mart with its branches of buds and bright blooms (Floriana was my first tour guide for the Flower Mart!) And I like “window shopping” – admiring the displays at such small boutiques as: Workshop on Union St., Erica Tanov on Fillmore St., and  Bell’Ochio on Brady.